It's a day Daniels - and USF fans - won't forget

A few days ago, the 19-year-old, the redshirt freshman, had a funny look on his face. Someone had asked about the pressure he faced replacing the greatest quarterback in his school's history, about making his first start, and before 80,000 fans, and in USF's first game against Florida State, and back in his hometown, and in front of family and friends ... and Bobby Bowden. B.J. Daniels smiled.

"Fear has never been a factor for me."

He tried to run off the field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but Cinderella never gets off easy. Teammates and coaches wanted to hug him. The South Florida band wanted to serenade him. ESPNU needed the winning quarterback for an on-field interview. Thousands of Bulls fans, green-and-gold witnesses to USF 17, FSU 7, the greatest win in school history, wanted Daniels' extraordinary day to last forever. Guess what? It will.

USF offensive coordinator Mike Canales yelled in B.J. Daniels' ear.

"This is your day, in your town. You own it."

When Daniels reached the locker room, waiting for him was the man he replaced, the injured Matt Grothe.

"Matt maybe gave me the biggest hug of all," Daniels said.

B.J. Daniels did it. On a day when no one gave him or his team a real chance, with everyone watching, with everyone doubting, he ran and passed South Florida to history, real history. A week ago, he was no one. Saturday, he was the best story in college football.

He had 341 yards of offense - 53 more yards than Florida State. He bobbed, weaved and raced for 126 yards on the ground, the first quarterback to break 100 on FSU's defense in 23 years. Daniels completed only eight passes, but the eight went for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Included were two long lightning bolts - 77 and 73 yards - that cut FSU hearts in two. B.J. Daniels never blinked.

"You can't even make this stuff up," Bruce Daniels said of his son's day. He waited for B.J. after the game, near the USF team buses, with his wife and B.J.'s grandparents. Dozens of B.J.'s Tallahassee friends waited. USF coach Jim Leavitt (yes, FSU might have the wrong Jimbo) marveled at the size of this fairy tale:

"In comes this freshman from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, and all he does is lead a South Florida team that has been out of trailers for about four years and beats a pretty good football team. It's a great story."

Great story? B.J. Daniels didn't grow up near FSU - he lived on the campus for the first seven years of his life. Bruce Daniels was a campus housing director.

Great story? B.J. Daniels grew up a Seminole; his hero was Charlie Ward. But FSU never offered a scholarship to Daniels, at least as a quarterback.

So on a day when FSU honored its 1999 national championship team, B.J. Daniels went wild. Watching was former Seminoles wild man Peter Warrick.

"He's doing his thing, man," Warrick said. "He's making me mad."

Daniels pressed too much in the second half and threw two interceptions, which might have been costly if the USF defense hadn't been smashing FSU in the mouth all day. But Daniels' cool and calm at the start set the tone. He was home, and he played like it. He cramped up badly in the third quarter and his coaches nearly sent him to the locker room for fluids.

"I wasn't coming out," Daniels said. "They would have had to carry me off."

It took forever for Bruce Edward Daniels Jr. to get to the USF buses. Delirious Bulls fans gave him the Full Tebow, stopping him and asking for autographs or pictures. Everywhere you looked, there was emotion. People called to the freshman as he stood on the field for the ESPNU interview.

As B.J. Daniels spoke, South Florida running back Mike Ford leaned into the camera frame and kissed B.J. Daniels on the cheek. It was that kind of day. It was that kind of history.

But kissed by a guy on national TV?

"That was a first," B.J. Daniels said.

The day was filled with them.